The most recent figures show that 54.72% of the electorate voted NO whilst 45.28% have supported the republican minimalist model in yesterday’s referendum.

Voters in the Australian Capital Territory supported a republic, but Victoria is the only State to record a narrow (50.10%) yes vote.

Republic Referendum Results

State

YES %

NO %

New South Wales

46.62

53.38

Victoria

50.10

49.90

Queensland

37.42

62.58

Western Australia

41.55

58.45

South Australia

43.65

56.35

Tasmania

40.16

59.84

Australian Capital Territory

63.77

36.23

Northern Territory

49.79

50.21

TOTAL

45.28

54.72

The referendum on the Preamble has fared worse, with support from only 39.88% of voters. No State or Territory has voted in favour.

Preamble Referendum Results

State

YES %

NO %

New South Wales

42.20

57.80

Victoria

42.72

57.28

Queensland

32.51

67.49

Western Australia

34.71

65.29

South Australia

38.23

61.77

Tasmania

35.27

64.73

Australian Capital Territory

43.15

56.85

Northern Territory

38.01

61.99

TOTAL

39.37

60.63

Speaking after the result became clear, Australian Republican Movement chairman, Malcolm Turnbull, said the blame for the result lay with the Prime Minister, John Howard, whom he said had “broken this nation’s heart.”

Turnbull said that republican supporters had done “what was right.” He told supporters that today was the proudest day of their lives, and when their children in years to come wanted to know why the Queen of England was the Australian Head of State they could proudly say they had voted for an Australian Head of State on November 6, 1999.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley last night promised to revisit the republic issue, saying it was vital that the issue be taken out of the hands of its enemies.

Today, Beazley talked of an indicative plebiscite in conjunction with the election after next, followed by a vote on a specific model. This process could take up to 8 years.

Watch Malcolm Turnbull speak on the referendum result:

Kerry Jones, speaking to monarchist supporters, claimed victory in the referendum, praised republicans as “good Australians”, called for national unity in the lead-up to the centenary of Federation. James Blundell gave the assembled supporters a rendition of the NO campaign’s song.

In the other poll yesterday, the Labor Party’s Anthony Byrne comfortably won the Holt by-election with 72.97% of the two-party-preferred vote.

Victorian and NSW Electorates Dominate YES vote

Nov 6 – 42 of Australia’s 148 Federal electorates, 28% of the total, supported the Yes vote in today’s referendum. 18 of these electorates (42%) were in Victoria, the only State to have recorded a narrow Yes vote. 15 Yes electorates were in NSW (36%). Only 7 electorates outside NSW and Victoria supported a Yes vote. There were 25 Labor electorates and 17 Liberal electorates that voted Yes.

Inner City Voters Cross Party Lines To Support Republic

Nov 6 – The inner suburban and city areas of the Australian capital cities provided the main support for the Yes case in the referendum. Voters in the outer suburbs, rural and provincial areas tended to vote No.

The electorate of Melbourne, held by Labor shadow minister Lindsay Tanner, recorded the highest Yes vote (71.50%) of any electorate in the nation. It was closely followed by Melbourne Ports (ALP – 66.17%), Kooyong (Liberal – 64.93%) and Higgins (Liberal – 62.43%). In other words, two of the ALP’s safest seats and two of the Liberal Party’s safest seats recorded the highest Yes votes. This suggests some correlation between education and income in the result. A less certain pattern is the correlation between Labor-voting electorates and the Yes vote, a pattern most evident in Victoria and the ACT. It should also be noted that Higgins is held by Peter Costello, the dominant government supporter of the Yes case.

By contrast, many safe Labor seats in the western suburbs of Sydney recorded No votes.

Interestingly, John Howard’s electorate of Bennelong recorded a 54.99% vote in favour of a republic, whilst Kim Beazley’s electorate of Brand only recorded 33.50% in favour. The seat of North Sydney, formerly held by prominent direct electionist Ted Mack voted 61.75% in favour of the republican model. All of this suggests a pattern of republican support concentrated in safe Labor and Liberal electorates in the inner suburban and more affluent areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, with pockets of support in the inner areas of Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth.